NRI Anand Jon may be in more trouble as prosecutors have filed 13 fresh charges
Sister Sanjana Jon stands by Anand

Los Angles, April 05 2007
Ashok Mehta

NRI, Anand Jon Alexander, 33, Celebrity fashion designer is in more trouble as prosecutors have filed 13 fresh charges against him. Now total number of criminal charges are 32 after one previous misdemeanour charge against him was dismissed.

The new charges include 11 felonies, involving rape and sodomy with threat of force, and a misdemeanor against five women between the ages of 14 to 23 between Nov 2002 and March 2007.

Prosecutors requested Superior Court Judge Eldon Fox to increas the bail $3 million from $US1.3 million but Judge rejected the request. Superior Court Judge ordered Jon, who is free on $1.3 million bail, back to court on June 12.

The Superior Court Judge Eldon Fox said Jon could resume work as a fashion designer but:

• must not be alone with a woman under the age of 30.
• models under the age of 30 must sign documents swearing they were never alone with him.

But Jon's lawyer asks why the new alleged victims didn't come forward earlier. Defense attorney Ronald Richard said," When you publicise a defendant, it's expected that people will come out of the woodwork, that's just a normal phenomenon when you're dealing with people that have a predisposition to seek fame to begin with."

Jon's sister Sanjana Jon, who he will live with in New York awaiting the next hearing, also supports him.” We know he's innocent, we are completely standing with him, and we know he will come out. God is with us.", said Sanjana.

"My mother and I have been strong in this crisis. And we are overwhelmed by the support we getting from friends everywhere,"she said.

Sanjana is convinced that Anand is innocent. She believes this is the result of professional jealousy. "It's classic case of envy being taken too far. With so many good thing suddenly happening in his professional life, and Anand being acknowledged as the star of the forthcoming LA Fashion Week, it's natural that he become a target," she alleged.

• The 33-year-old designer to the stars, whom Newsweek named one of the people to watch in its "Who's Next in 2007" issue, remains jailed.
• Jon's attorney, Ronald Richards, said the allegations were fabrications by models who believed they weren't getting the work they had expected from the designer.

  "In these cases, what is going on here is these girls fly in for model jobs after months of dialogue filled with flirtation, they have sexual interaction and if he doesn't put them in the show … then some time later they claim they had unwanted sex," Richards said

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Anand jon with mother shashi